What Goes Around
by FaithinBones
Summary: Booth knew that Brennan liked jokes, but he didn't know she liked practical jokes.
1. Chapter 1

(After the Change in the Game)

I don't own Bones.

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It surprised the hell out of him when he found out that Brennan loved to pull practical jokes on him. They'd been together for several weeks when he'd discovered that there was more to his Bones than met the eye. Peel back that serious scientist layer and there was definitely someone who loved jokes waiting to pounce on him.

After a long day, he'd arrived home to find his girlfriend in bed asleep. He'd been called in to handle a bank robbery across town and after tracking the robbery suspects down and making an arrest, Booth had finally found his way home. He was starving and after checking the fridge he'd found a small casserole with his name written on a label sticking to the plastic wrap covering the dish. Surprised and pleased at the thought of Brennan making him something special, he'd eagerly removed it from the fridge and popped the dish into the microwave.

The tantalizing aroma almost too much for a man who hadn't eaten for the last fourteen hours, Booth eagerly removed the dish from the microwave once it looked like it was hot enough. His stomach rumbling in protest, he'd grabbed a fork and sat down at the kitchen island. Saliva building in his mouth, he had to swallow before he took a bite of the enticing dish before him.

Once the first bite was in his mouth, he found the taste odd, but the melted provolone with the crushed tomatoes were so good he was willing to overlook the taste of the meat. Booth knew that Brennan liked to experiment in the kitchen and he put it down to some odd spices she was trying out.

Hungrily, he ate the entire casserole and felt full at last. The cold beer he'd had with his food had also hit the spot and he was in a very happy mood. Satisfied, he'd washed the casserole dish and fork and placed them on the drain board next to the sink. Tossing the empty bottle in the recycle bin, he turned off the lights in the kitchen and made his way to his bedroom. The room silent except for the sound of the air conditioner running, he leaned against the doorjamb and watched Brennan sleep for a few minutes, still in awe with the fact that he was in a relationship with her.

She stirred on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin, keeping her eyes closed the entire time. "Are you going to stand there and watch me sleep? It seems a terrible waste of time to me."

Moving across the room, Booth stopped next to the bed, removed his shoes and slid onto the mattress next to her. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

Her eyes now open, Brennan smiled at him. "I heard you come in and the smell of the casserole heating in the microwave kept me awake. I've been waiting for you to come to bed."

Unable to stop himself, Booth leaned closer and kissed her, his hand resting on her stomach. "I have to take a shower . . . want to join me?"

Quickly closing her eyes, Brennan let him know that wasn't going to happen. "I'm comfortable, Booth and I'm very clean. I don't need or want another shower."

Disappointed, Booth kissed her once more. "Okay Miss Grumpy, I'll be back in a few minutes." Once out of bed, he retrieved a pair of sweat shorts from the dresser and walked towards the bathroom. "Oh hey, thanks for the casserole. It was good."

Curious, Brennan opened her eyes and sat up. "So you liked it?"

Wary, Booth stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his partner. "Yes? . . . Why wouldn't I like it?"

With a little bit of nonchalance, Brennan shrugged her shoulders and tried to keep from smiling. "I made it with tofu."

His eyes mere slits, Booth pursed his lips together and noticed the way she hid the lower part of her face with her right hand. "There was no meat in that dish?"

Slowly, Brennan shook her head. "No, it was a vegetarian dish." Unable to stop herself, she laughed. "Gotcha Booth. You claim you don't like tofu and you ate tofu tonight."

Uncertain how to respond, Booth stared at her and finally realized that she had played a joke on him. "Did you play me? . . . You played me. What the hell, Bones. I've told you I'm a meat eater and I'm not going to give up meat for you or anyone else."

Her tittering laugh escaping from her, Brennan shook her head. "The other day you told me I would never be able to make you eat tofu and I took that as a challenge." Laughing once more, Brennan happily asked him, "How much did you eat? I bet you ate all of it didn't you? That is very funny because I did make you eat tofu, Booth. I made the dish with ingredients you like and you were unable to stop eating it. That's very funny."

Not amused in the least, Booth shook his head. "Ha Ha, Bones, very funny." With a slight shake of his head, he cocked his head to the side. "Just remember, you started this Bones."

Her smiled now gone, Brennan tried to understand what he meant. "I don't know what that means."

With a gleam in his eyes, Booth gave her a grim smile. "It means little Miss Practical Joker that what goes around comes around." Turning, he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"Wait . . . what does that mean, Booth?" Concerned that she was missing something, Brennan called out, "Booth what does that mean?"

The door suddenly opening, Booth leaned into the room shirtless. "It means that since you played a joke on me I can play one on you. Better watch your back Bones." His chuckle rather ominous, he closed the door once more.

Her eyes riveted on the closed door, Brennan realized that she may have started something she shouldn't have. "Well, I didn't foresee that."

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	2. Chapter 2

(After the Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Her nerves were just a little on edge. Brennan had thought Booth would exact his revenge as soon as he could, but so far he hadn't tried to play a practical joke on her and she was beginning to resent it. He'd made himself quite clear he was going to get back at her and so far, nothing. It was just so annoying when he did things like that.

After meeting Booth at the Diner for lunch, Brennan had ordered iced tea and a Caesar salad. Once her drink was placed before her, she sipped it and blanched. "Booth what have you done with this drink? My tea is terrible."

Confused, Booth placed his cup of coffee down on the table and shook his head. "What do ya mean what did I do with your drink? Joan just gave you that drink. I didn't do anything with it."

Brennan wasn't sure if she believed him. It had been four days since she had tricked him into eating tofu and he had threatened to get her back. Surely this was his revenge. "Booth my tea tastes absolutely disgusting. I don't appreciate you using someone else to pull your practical joke. I thought it would be just between you and I."

Puzzled, Booth reached out and took the glass from Brennan's hand. After sipping the drink, Booth laughed. "Bones this is Dr. Pepper. Joan must have mixed up your drink order."

Just as he handed the glass back to Brennan, Joan arrived back at their table and handed Brennan a glass. "I'm so sorry Dr. Brennan. I gave you Special Agent White's drink instead of the tea you ordered. Here's a glass of tea. I'm sorry for the mix-up." Once she picked up the glass of Dr. Pepper, Joan left.

Cautiously sipping her drink, Brennan was relieved to find it was iced tea. "I thought you were playing a trick on me . . . When are you going to play your practical joke on me? You're taking too long."

Well aware that Brennan was getting annoyed with him for not following through on his threat, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. You're a genius and . . . well I'm not, so it has to be pretty good." Shortly after she'd play her practical joke on him, he'd realized that Brennan had become suspicious of every little thing that went wrong in her day. He knew it was probably wrong, but he loved the fact that she was anxious while she was waiting for the ball to drop. The more jittery she became, the more he thought it was funny, so he had decided that he'd wait a while just to see what she'd do about it. _This is actually more fun that trying to think up a way to get her back._

Pleased at the compliment and yet annoyed that Booth couldn't seem to make up his mind how he wanted to fool her, Brennan sighed. "Booth, just get it over with. This waiting is very . . . annoying."

Chuckling, Booth tried not to laugh too loud. "Oh come on, Bones. How long did it take you to come up that trick of yours?"

"One day to think up how I would get you to eat tofu and three days to spring my trap." Brennan was honest and a little proud of herself. "I told you I'd get you to eat tofu Booth."

Still disgusted that he'd eaten an entire casserole made with tofu, Booth picked up his fork and filled it with Salisbury steak. ""Yeah, I got that Bones. It was really clever. Of course you do realize that from now on, I'm not going to trust anything you cook for me."

Brennan hadn't realized that Booth would take her trick to heart like that. "Booth, don't be that way. I promise not to do that again. I don't want you to distrust me like that. I just . . . when you told me I could never make you eat tofu, I took it as a challenge and I found it hard to resist. Now that I've accomplished what I set out to do and you've eaten a tofu meal then I'm completely satisfied and I won't repeat it."

Ashamed that he was making her uncomfortable, Booth reached across the table and captured her left hand. "I get it Bones, I guess I did set it up to make it look like I was daring you to try something. As long as I have your word that you will tell me if something is made with tofu then I'm good with it . . . Now eat your lunch we have an interview to get to in an hour."

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Six days since she had played her practical joke on Booth and still, he hadn't played one on her. Beyond annoyed, Brennan arrived home and found her boyfriend sitting on the couch eating a caramel apple. After she dropped her purse on the couch, Brennan placed her hands on her hips and glared at the man. "Booth, I insist you spring your trap soon. It isn't fair to prolong it like you're doing."

The apple sweet and crunchy, Booth took another bite and slowly chewed it. Licking his lips after swallowing the juicy apple, Booth licked the caramel on the outside of the apple. "Don't get so bent out of shape Bones. I'm almost ready. I just have a little set up to do." Taking another bite, the crisp apple squirted a bit of juice as the skin was broken under the candy.

Settling down on the couch next to Booth, Brennan reached over and picked up a caramel apple sitting on a plate on the coffee table. Pointing it at her partner, she smiled. "Good, I'm sorry I played that trick on you and I'm glad you have finally chosen a joke to play on me. I hope it's soon. This is getting silly."

Just before he took another bite from his caramel apple, Booth pointed at the apple. "I thought you don't like candy. You tell me all the time it's junk food."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan stared at the candy coated apple and sighed. "That's true, but lately I've been craving candy and cookies. I think it's my pregnancy." Taking a bite, Brennan started to chew and realized that something was terribly wrong. As quickly as possible, she grabbed the plate the apple had been resting on and spit out her bite. "Booth . . . Booth this is not a caramel apple."

Desperately trying not to laugh, Booth nodded his head and took the caramel covered onion from her hand. "I never said it was . . . gotcha!" Unable to hold it in, Booth laughed at the expression on her face. "Paybacks a bitch, Bones."

Her eyes mere slits, Brennan watched as Booth took another bite from his caramel apple. "I see . . . very good Booth. Your ruse worked . . . I hope we are finished with our practical jokes now."

After he swallowed his bite of apple, Booth handed her the rest of his apple so she could finish it. "Of course, Bones."

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I hope you liked this one. This practical joke came from mendenbar.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Their week had been a long one. A body of an infant had been found in a wall in an abandoned apartment building that was being torn down and the case had been given to Booth and his team. If there was one thing Brennan knew it was that Booth hated cases involving children. She and her team didn't like them either, but all in all they seemed to be able to handle it better emotionally than Booth could.

It had taken them five days, but they had tracked down the mother of the child and the case was closed. Brennan wanted to find a way to perk up her boyfriend and she knew that a diversion was the best way to get him to stop moping over the case.

With Hodgins' help she had him make a special spoon for her. Gleefully, she had carried it home in a baggy filled with ice and had hidden it in the crisper of the refrigerator. Since Booth rarely looked in the crisper section for anything, she knew her spoon was safe for at least a little while.

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The next morning, Brennan managed to get up earlier than Booth, threw on a robe and made her way into the kitchen where she made a fresh pot of coffee. After scrambling some eggs for Booth and cooking some cream of wheat for herself, she set the table with a plate filled with eggs and toast and then placed her special spoon next to the plate, along with the sugar bowl. Next, she poured a cup of coffee in Booth's ceramic FBI mug and placed it next to his plate. Finally, Brennan placed a bowl of cream of wheat on the table with a normal spoon next to it and she was ready for the next phase of her plan.

Unable to hide her smirk, Brennan was pleased that her special spoon looked normal and not out of place. Excited, she walked over to the bedroom, leaned into the room and spied Booth still sleeping. Moving over to the bed, Brennan leaned over and pushed Booth's shoulder. "Time to get up, Booth."

His heart pounding, Booth jerked away from her touch and stared at Brennan. "Oh . . . sorry. I was dreaming about . . . anyway . . ." His gaze moving to the clock, Booth turned and flopped back down on to the mattress. "Aw come one, Bones . . . it's Saturday. I don't want to get up at eight."

Irritated, Brennan shook his shoulder. "Booth, we have to go grocery shopping today and we promised to meet Dad for lunch. Afterward, we're supposed to go to Parker's school fair and spend money on things we don't need to appease the school board. You need to get up now if we hope to accomplish our tasks."

"I hate being an adult sometimes." Moving to the edge of the bed, Booth fished on the floor for his boxers and found them with his left foot. After he'd retrieved them, he pulled them on and stood up, wincing when his feet took his full weight. "Okay, I'm up. Let me get dressed and I'll cook breakfast for us."

The anticipation starting to build, Brennan shook her head and smiled. "That won't be necessary. I couldn't sleep and I woke up early. I scrambled some eggs for you and made you some coffee. Just wear your robe and get dressed after breakfast."

Pulling her into his arms, Booth kissed her. "Aren't you the sweetest thing?" Kissing her once more, he felt her lean against him and run her hands down his hips.

Before he could move his hands towards her hips to pull her closer, she pulled back. "Your eggs are getting cold and we do have a schedule to keep this morning."

Disappointed, Booth grabbed his robe and slipped it on. "I really hate being a responsible adult sometimes . . . especially on Saturdays."

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After pouring a glass of orange juice for him and his girlfriend, Booth placed the glasses on the table, sat down and looked at his plate. "Looks good Bones. Thanks." The coffee still steaming, Booth picked up his spoon, scooped a heaping spoonful of sugar and placed it into his cup of coffee. As he stirred, he failed to hear the tinkling of the spoon against the sides of the ceramic cup and the weight of the utensil felt odd. Pulling it out of the coffee, he was shocked to see most of the spoon was gone. His eyes wide, he looked at Brennan and noticed her hands were covering her lips. "Okay, what did you do?"

Unable to keep it in, Brennan laughed hard and pointed at the rest of the spoon as it melted on Booth's fingers. Startled he dropped the bits that were left and wiped his fingers on a napkin. "What is this? . . . it's like it's made from the same stuff as the shape shifting android assassin in the second Terminator movie."

Not really sure what he was talking about, Brennan shrugged her shoulders and tried to explain. "I had Hodgins make a spoon composed of gallium. It has a melting point of 29.76 Celsius . . ." Before Booth could complain, she added, "85.58 degrees Fahrenheit. If you had held the spoon a little bit longer it would have melted before you'd dipped it in the coffee. Since the coffee is approximately 165 degrees Fahrenheit the spoon melted immediately . . . your reaction was very funny, Booth. Were you amused?"

His lips pursed, Booth stared at her eager face and decided that it had been funny after all. "Yeah, actually that was pretty funny . . . Did you think this up yourself?"

Pleased that her boyfriend had found her joke amusing, Brennan quickly nodded her head. "Oh yes. You've been sad since you were given the case involving the baby and I wanted to cheer you up. I thought I would play a practical joke on you thereby taking your mind off of our case. Now that I have shot a cannon ball towards your boat you must now reciprocate therefore you will be happy . . . Do you understand?"

Chuckling, Booth reached across the table and gripped her hand in his hand. "The phrase is fired a shot across the bow, but that was close enough and yes, I'm happy." Careful to move his plate and cup to the side, Booth leaned over and kissed her. "I'll try to pay you back in the next day or two. I won't drag it out like the last time."

"Oh good." Her lips lingering near his lips, Brennan stared at his soft brown eyes. "I didn't like the waiting part the last time. I'm glad you are no longer sad."

Filled with love for this unusual, but wonderful woman, Booth smiled and before he kissed her again, he assured her. "I'm definitely not sad when I'm with you Bones."

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	4. Chapter 4

(After the Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really do appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Hodgins had seen Booth enter the Lab, but he didn't think anything of it. He assumed that the agent was here to see Brennan and continued feeding the various reptiles, insects and spiders he had in his Ookey room.

Later that morning, Hodgins heard Cam upstairs shouting at something. Curious, he left his office and met Brennan near the platform.

Not sure what was going on, they heard Cam yell 'turn on' and they turned to face each other. "Do you know what the shouting is about, Dr. Hodgins?"

Slowly shaking his head, Hodgins turned his head to stare at the upper floor when he heard Cam shout 'turn on damn it'. "I don't know, but I think we better find out, don't you?"

Moving over to the staircase that led up to the catwalk above, Brennan quickly ascended the steps with Hodgin dogging her heels. Once they were at the top of the stairs, they moved over to where the little mini kitchen was and watched as Cam leaned over a toaster and spoke in a very loud voice. "Toast my bagel . . . now you piece of junk . . . God I hate progress sometimes, what's wrong with a simple toaster that just makes toast?"

A little exasperated, Wendell picked the toaster up, unplugged it, shook it, plugged it back in and then spoke in a clear loud voice. "Turn on . . . toast the bagel . . . switch on . . . stupid toaster."

Unable to stop himself, Hodgins laughed. "What . . . what's going on?"

Surprised they had an audience, Wendell turned and held up a note. "We have a new toaster, but I think it's broken."

Brennan thought she recognized the handwriting and took the note from Wendell's hand. In Booth's handwriting she read: _New toaster – voice activated_

While Brennan was reading the note, Hodgins moved Wendell aside and pressed the lever down on the side of the toaster. The heating element coming on immediately, they all smelled the aroma of bread toasting.

"This is from Booth." All eyes now on her Brennan, she placed her hand over her mouth and laughed.

Surprised, Cam slowly shook her head. "Why are you laughing? The toaster is obviously defective."

Unable to prevent it, Hodgins snorted. "It's not voice activated Cam. You have to press the lever down to make it work. That's how toaster's work."

Confused, Wendell shook his head, "Then why did Booth . . ."

Laughing uproariously, Brennan pointed at the toaster and then at Wendell and Cam. "Booth . . . that's so funny . . . Oh my . . . I will have to congratulate him as this was totally unexpected . . . so funny . . ."

Not seeing the joke, Cam placed her hands on her hips. "Would you care to enlighten us, Dr. Brennan?"

"He pranked us." Hodgins started to laugh so hard, tears spilled down his cheeks. "Voice activated my ass . . . Oh my God . . . Turn on . . . Turn on damn it . . . Oh my God we could hear you guys downstairs." Wiping tears from his eyes, Hodgins laughed even harder when a perfectly toasted bagel popped up.

Cam's eyes mere slits, she pulled her snack from the toaster and plopped it down on to a plate. "I think I'm going to have a little talk with Booth."

Finally under control, Brennan placed the note in her pocket and glanced at Wendell and then Cam. "I pulled a prank on Booth yesterday and he is reciprocating . . . I didn't think he'd involve anyone else, but clearly he did and his practical joke is exceptional. I'm very impressed."

His cheeks burning, Wendell shook his head. "Yeah, well Booth better watch his back. Two can play at that game."

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Involved in his quarterly report, Booth was startled when he heard his name called out. Looking up, he saw a very aggravated Cam standing in the doorway with a toaster in her hand. "I believe this belongs to you."

Unable to help himself, Booth snorted. "No . . . I bought it for the Lab. Bones said your old one broke a few days ago and I thought I'd replace it."

Glaring at her friend, Cam placed the toaster on her friend's desk. "Voice activated?"

His face now blank, Booth refused to show any emotion. "Isn't it? I was sure that's what the box said."

Cam didn't trust that cool look one bit. "Did the box really say it was?"

Booth knew his friend was furious, but really his joke must have been hilarious if Cam had been involved. "It didn't say it wasn't."

Very aggravated, Cam crossed her arms against her chest. "Wendell and I read your note and we ended up shouting at it . . . that wasn't very funny, Booth. It was embarrassing. Dr. Brennan says you were retaliating for a joke she played on you."

Her fury only highlighting how successful his joke had been, Booth threw his head back and laughed. The sound of their boss laughing so crazily caused quite a few heads to stir in the bullpen. Fascinated, they watched Dr. Saroyan pick up Booth's Bobble Head Bobby and hold it at arm's length away from the desk.

Alarmed, Booth stood up and held his hands out in a placating manner. "Come on now Cam. Don't do that. It was a joke. Everyone has been sad since that baby was discovered in the wall and . . . I wanted to make everyone laugh not just Bones . . . don't drop my Bobby, Cam . . . please."

His explanation unexpected, Cam placed the Bobby back on the desk. "Everyone has been on edge for days and . . . it was funny . . . alright, you're forgiven."

Thankful, Booth sat back down. "Bones and Hodgins played a joke on me because I was sad and I returned the favor."

"Dr. Brennan didn't say Hodgins had been involved in her practical joke on you." Rubbing her chin, Cam smiled. "Maybe Hodgins needs to learn a lesson. The only one your joke caught was Wendell and myself."

His eyes now on his Bobby, Booth slowly nodded his head and then turned to look at his friend. "Want me to help?"

Settling down on a chair across from Booth's desk, Cam smiled. "What do you have in mind? If you don't have an idea I'm sure I can think of one."

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Curious? Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Cam entered Booth's office and slapped a magazine down on his desk. Startled, Booth looked at the magazine and then back at his friend. "Really? Why the hell would I be interested in this magazine?"

Amused, Cam settled on the chair across from Booth's desk and frowned. "That toaster joke may have been funny to you, but you didn't actually get revenge on Dr. Brennan or Hodgins did you?"

With a twinkle in his eyes, Booth grinned. "Yeah, but it was funny, you got to admit it."

Her eyes glinting, Cam slowly shook her head. "Yes, it was hilarious, Booth. Just a chuckle a minute . . . I want you to play a joke on Dr. Brennan and if Hodgins gets caught up in it then that will just be the icing on the cake. You did promise to help me play a joke on Dr. Brennan if I thought of one."

Puzzled, Booth looked down at the magazine and then back at his friend. "I'm not a mathematician, Cam. I do okay, but math is Bones' thing not mine."

Standing, Cam picked up the magazine, flipped the pages, folded it over and laid it back on the desk so Booth could read the article. "That's the beauty of this prank. You will only have to show it to Dr. Brennan and ask her to explain it to you. If you do it when Hodgins is there then . . . you know him, he'll try to help. They'll both take this as a challenge."

Still confused, Booth looked at the title of the article, "Independent, Negative, Canonically Turing Arrows of Equations and Problems in Applied Formal PDE". Fighting to keep his eyes from glazing over, Booth shook his head. "What the fuck does this even mean?"

Barely able to keep from laughing outright, Cam placed her hand momentarily over her mouth and merely grinned. "Okay, let me explain. Nate Eldredge is a mathematician and he submitted a paper to 'Advances in Pure Mathematics'. That paper should never have seen the light of day, but it did. Elredge wrote a program called Mathgen and its purpose was to generate random mathematics research papers. It's nonsense."

Intrigued, Booth looked down at the article and read it, well skimmed over it really. "Wow . . . um, you know this is perfect. I don't have to do anything really. It's not like I printed it or anything. It's in a legitimate magazine . . . Oh this is too good. Thanks . . . um, wait. Why don't you give it to her and ask her what it means?"

Steadily staring at him, Cam grimly responded. "If I give it to her, she would probably glance at it and tell me it's self-explanatory. If you give it to her, she will try her best to explain it to you because well . . . let's face it, math is not really your thing and she likes to be the brains of your outfit."

Poking his tongue in his cheek, Booth stared at his friend momentarily. "Um, yeah thanks . . . a back handed compliment don't you think?"

Cam chuckled and stood up. "You did make me and poor Wendell look foolish. If this makes you look stupid for a few minutes then it's only what you deserve. The end game is to prank Dr. Brennan and hopefully Dr. Hodgins . . . If you're going to do this you need to do it today. I called the magazine and they're going to make a mea culpa statement today about the article."

His eyes once more on the article, Booth laughed. "Go back to the Lab. I'll be over in about an hour."

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After he entered the Lab, Booth found it to be his lucky day. He spotted Brennan on the platform talking to Hodgins with Cam in attendance. He knew that Cam had probably set this up and he thought it was very funny.

As he approached the stairs leading up to the platform, he waved the magazine at Cam who was facing him and smiled. Once he was on the platform, he called out. "Hey Bones." With a friendly smile on his lips, he moved closer and then stopped between Brennan and Hodgins. "Hey, one of my guys is a math enthusiast and he gets this magazine. He came across some article that he says doesn't make any sense and he asked me to ask you to look at it and see if you can figure it out . . . He knows you're a genius and he thought you might be able to explain it . . . of course if you're too busy then I'll tell him you can't help him. I just told him I'd ask that's all."

Curious, Brennan took the magazine from Booth's hand, noticed the title of the magazine and nodded her head. "I subscribe to this. It's a very good magazine. I just got my copy this morning, but I haven't had time to look at it . . . which article is he having trouble with?"

After he took the magazine back, Booth flipped through the magazine, found the article and folded the magazine back. "Here." After she took it back, Booth watched as Hodgins looked over Brennan's shoulder and read the article with her.

Quickly scanning the article, Brennan read, 'Let ρ=A. Is it possible to extend isomorphisms? We show that D′ is stochastically orthogonal and trivially affine. In [10], the main result was the construction of 𝔭-Cardano, compactly Erdős, Weyl functions. This could shed important light on a conjecture of Conway-d'Alembert." Her eyes blinking rapidly, Brennan shook her head and read it once more.

Hodgins, his eyes slightly bulging, shook his head and reread it also. "I don't get it. I . . . this doesn't make any sense . . . does it?"

After reading it for a third time, Brennan looked up and stared at Booth with a worried expression. A look of suspicion crossing he face, she checked the front of the magazine and then the first few pages. A scowl now on her face, she checked several articles, closed the magazine, rolled it in her hand and walked over to the stairs. "I'd like to check my copy of the magazine if you don't mind."

Schooling his expression, Booth tried to convey a look of hurt on his face. "What? You think this is a prank? . . . Come on." Following her, Booth walked down the stairs and quickly moved to catch up with her. "Okay, I get it."

Brennan quickly entered her office, found her copy of the magazine on her desk, flipped through it and found the same article in Booth's copy. She read it once more, sighed, sat down and stared at the article. "It's a real article."

As he entered the office, Hodgins heard Brennan speak and stopped short. "You're kidding me? That's . . . um, wow . . . I'm good, but that article is way over my head."

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan sighed once more and turned her sad face towards Booth. "I don't know what to say, Booth. I haven't the faintest idea what this article is about. I thought I was very good at math, but . . . apparently not. I'm sorry that I cannot help you or your agent."

Embarrassed for her, Booth now felt that he probably shouldn't have given her the magazine. It was okay to prank over silly stuff, but this just made her insecure and he hated that. "Look . . . uh . . . Bones don't worry about it. I bet that article is a mistake. If you can't figure it out then there must be something wrong with it." As he leaned over the desk, he grabbed his copy and threw it in the trash can next to her desk. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry, Bones. You are a genius and this magazine is probably . . ."

Slowly shaking her head, Brennan suddenly burst out laughing. Confused Booth and Hodgins stared at Brennan, glanced at each other and then back at Brennan. "I . . . what's so funny, Bones?"

Her laughter ringing out in the room, Brennan motioned towards Cam to enter the room. "Gotcha Booth and you too Dr. Hodgins . . . I knew this article was a mistake, Booth. Cam and I decided you needed to be pranked back because of the toaster incident."

Entering the room with Wendell following behind her, Cam laughed and shook her head. "That will teach you Booth."

His eyes mere slits, Booth shook his head and felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Fine, you got me." He hadn't meant for his prank war to get outside the family, but it had and someone needed payback. Booth flicked his gaze from Cam to Wendell and then back to Brennan. An evil smile now appearing on his face, Booth nodded his head, turned and left the room.

Worried at the sudden change in Booth, Cam stared at the empty doorway. "Maybe we should have left well enough alone."

Biting her lower lip, Brennan nodded her head. "Booth is much smarter than he likes to appear. This might not bode well for any of us."

His arms crossed against his chest, Wendell sighed. "Terrific."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.

A/N: Last year, mathematician Nate Eldredge shared some news! His latest paper had been accepted to the journal _Advances in Pure Mathematics_! Even more astounding was that the paper was totally and utterly nonsense. It had been created by program called Mathgen that Eldredge wrote to generate random mathematics research papers. (Real Clear Science)


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Five days later and Brennan was beginning to worry. That last prank she had pulled on Booth seemed funny at the time, but in retrospect it may not have been a good idea. He hadn't promised retribution, but that smile after he'd been pranked meant to her that he was going to think of a way to get back at her and Cam. The problem with that was, Booth was patient and he might not spring one on them until they had forgot about it. He could be ruthless when he wanted to be.

While they were eating breakfast, Brennan watched her boyfriend work on a crossword puzzle. "Booth are you going to counter my practical joke or not?"

Slowly looking up from his newspaper, Booth gave her a faint smile. "Nah, it's gotten out of hand. Enough is enough."

Surprised, Brennan placed her toast down on her plate and studied his face. After a few seconds she nodded her head. "Alright . . . you do know that Hodgins and Cam are worried that you will pull a prank on them as revenge for the last one Cam and I played on you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth turned his attention back to his puzzle. "Good, let them." His pencil rapping a beat on the counter, Booth looked back up. "Maybe it would be better if we keep our pranks between ourselves. It can get out of hand when you involve others and well, we have to maintain a professional relationship in the field. I don't want my bosses to think we don't get along."

His reasoning sound, Brennan slathered some apple butter on her toast and closed the lid on the jar. "Alright, you are probably right about that."

As he filled out the last line of his puzzle, Booth smiled. "Ha, finished it." Still hungry, Booth grabbed some bread slices and popped it into the toaster. "Turn on."

Startled, Brennan looked up. "Booth what are you doing? That toaster is not . . ."

His bright eyes filled with mischief, Booth laughed and slid the lever down on the side of the toaster. "Just kidding, Bones. I wish I'd been there to see Cam and Wendell yelling at the toaster. I bet that was funny as hell."

A twinkle in her eyes, Brennan chuckled. "It was very amusing, Booth. I thought it was the best practical joke I'd ever seen."

The aroma of toasting bread filling the air, Booth smiled. "It was pretty good."

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"So, Dr. Brennan says that Booth isn't going to prank us back." Turning into the parking lot, Cam drove their van around a few police cars and parked next to the FBI Forensic truck.

Relieved to hear it, Hodgins unbuckled his seat belt and opened the passenger door. "Thank God. The last thing I need is a damn sniper gunning for me."

Wendell opened the side door, unbuckled his seat belt and slid out of the van. Hurrying around the back, he threw open the doors and removed three kits from the back. After he'd given Cam and Hodgins their kits, he closed the door and looked around. Spying Booth standing next to Brennan while she squatted next to a pile of what looked like dog food, Wendell swallowed. "Damn one of those."

Pausing before he crossed the parking lot, Hodgins laughed. "Come on Wendell. We've seen worse."

Her kit clutched in her hand, Cam started to pass a large refrigerator box with Hodgins and Wendell following closely behind her when a large flap on the box popped open and two arms jutted out of the box. As it jerked towards them, Cam let out a scream and darted away from the box while Hodgins and Wendell dropped their kits, ducked and raced towards a group of police officers standing across the parking lot.

A roar of laughter coming from the police and the FBI techs, the trio stopped and looked back at the box. Flipping the box over, a man appeared in a FBI tech uniform and waved at them.

Flabbergasted, Cam turned to look at Booth who was calmly writing something on some note cards. Her heart rate slowing, she took a deep breath and marched over to where Booth was standing. Hodgins and Wendell, following behind their supervisor, noticed that Booth finally looked up, placed his cards in his jacket pocket and smiled at them.

As soon as she was close to Booth, Cam placed her kit on the ground and crossed her arms against her breasts. "Really?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth glanced at Hodgins and Wendell and then turned his full attention on Cam. "Pax?"

"Yes for God's sakes . . . pax." Irritated, Cam leaned over, opened her kit and removed some latex gloves. "No more, Booth. We're done. You and Dr. Brennan can prank each other, but leave the rest of us out it."

His heart rate finally back to normal, Hodgins held his hand over his heart. "Yes, no more Booth. I get it. You're the king of the pranks."

Amused, Booth tugged his right ear. "Good. Now that we have that cleared up, let's get to work."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

That evening, Brennan set the table and then poured wine in two glasses while Booth finished cooking his marinara sauce. "That was a very funny prank Booth, but I think you're right. I think we should refrain from pranking our friends."

Smashing some garlic cloves on the cutting board, Booth glanced at Brennan. "Yeah, it's more fun when we just play with each other. We're less likely to get into trouble that way."

The table set, Brennan walked around the counter and placed her arms around his back. Tiptoeing, she kissed his neck. "Are you going to prank me soon?"

Turning in her arms, Booth placed his hands on her waist and kissed her. Their kiss long and satisfying, Booth finally turned back to his sauce. "No, I think we're done for now."

"Good." Moving over to the refrigerator, Brennan opened the door, sprang back and started to laugh. Her hand on the refrigerator door, she stared at the contents of the fridge and shook her head. "How long did it take you to do this?"

His grin broad, Booth strutted over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. The bottle had two plastic eyes glued to it and they wiggled when the bottle moved. "I came home for lunch and spent my lunch hour gluing eyes on everything in the fridge."

Taking the bottle from his hand, Brennan wiggled the bottle so she could see the eyes move up and down then handed the bottle back to her boyfriend. "Pax Booth."

"Pax Bones." After he took a sip, he placed the bottle on the counter and pulled her into his arms. "I love you Bones. You make me so happy."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.

A/N: Pax means (in the Christian Church) the kissing of a tablet by all the participants at a mass depicting the Crucifixion or other sacred object; the kiss of peace.


	7. Chapter 7

(After The Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. Like most authors, I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones, not even a little bit.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

They had decided to take a vacation while Parker was out of school and Brennan wasn't too far into her pregnancy. Parker was staying with them for three weeks and Booth wanted to use two of those weeks doing something fun. Brennan had wanted to go to a resort in the Virgin Islands, but Parker had begged them to go camping instead. He wanted to sleep in tents, cook over an open fire and fight bears if they came around and attacked them or something like that.

The bear idea sounded like a reason not to go camping to Brennan, but in the end she let Booth and Parker talk her into the camping trip. Booth had sweetened the pot by promising Brennan they wouldn't have to sleep in a tent. He had a friend who owned a rustic cabin in West Virginia and though it didn't have running water or electricity, it did have a roof and a fireplace. To appease his son, Booth promised Parker he could sleep in a tent in front of the cabin.

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While Brennan sat on a lawn chair, Booth and Parker sat on a log next to the camp fire and roasted some hotdogs. Vacation or no vacation, Brennan was roasting some vegetable kabobs over the fire and made sure her skewer didn't touch Booth's or Parker's intended dinner.

Amused, Booth watched Brennan carefully move her vegetable laden stick from the fire and used a fork to transfer the roasted vegetables to a paper plate. "Sure you don't want a hotdog Bones?"

The disgust plain on her face, Brennan shook her head. "Absolutely sure, Booth." After adding a little sweet and sour sauce to her vegetables, she closed the lid, placed the bottle down on the folding table next to her and began to eat.

While their hot dogs were cooking, Booth decided to tell a story from his Army days. "I was sent to Bosnia in 1994. While I was there I had to sleep in the woods more than once. It was okay, it was summer, so it wasn't cold or anything. Anyway, one night, me and my buddy laid out our sleeping bags and we ate dinner. After we were done, we got in our sleeping bags and what do you think happened?"

His eyes large, Parker forgot his sizzling hotdog and stared at his father. "No . . . what happened?"

"Well, as soon as Frank got into his sleeping bag his feet touched something that he knew shouldn't be there and as he tried to get out of the bag, he felt like he'd been bit . . . man, you never seen someone move so fast . . . As soon as he was out of the bag, he had me look at his ankle and I could see he had been snake bit. Frank turned the bag over and shook it and out fell a snake."

"Oh Gosh." His eyes riveted on his father, Booth had to remind his son that his hotdog was probably done. Once it was in a bun and slathered with yellow mustard, Parker urged his father to continue with his story. "Was the snake poisonous?"

Booth's hotdog now in its bun, Booth took a bite, chewed and swallowed. "Oh sure . . . at first we thought it was an Asp Viper, which can kill you for sure, but I got a stick and held down its head and we took a good look at it and we figured out it was a Karst Meadow Viper. Lucky for Frank that kind of snake isn't as dangerous. It can cause swelling and pain and maybe you might throw up, but it won't kill an adult."

Curious, Brennan broke into the conversation. "Did you kill the snake?"

After eating another bite of hotdog, Booth answered her. "Nah, I let it go. Frank wanted to kill it, but I just carried it into the woods and let it go."

Pleased, Brennan smiled at her partner. "That was a sensible thing to do."

Shivering, Parker shook his head. "I don't think I would have wanted it anywhere near me."

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After Booth settled Parker into his tent with strict instructions to stay there unless he had to go to the bathroom then of course he could walk over to the outdoor john. Booth didn't want Parker wandering around in the forest by himself and after the snake story, Parker promised to stay where he was.

As he entered the cabin, Booth noticed Brennan sitting on the couch in the main room. The cabin only consisted of two rooms, one being the living area and the other the small bedroom. "Hey Bones. You got enough light to read by?"

The Coleman lamp resting on the table next to the old battered couch put out enough light. "Yes, I can read quite easily without eye strain."

Moving over to the bedroom, Booth opened the door and paused. "I'm going to change and I'll be right back. We can play cards if you want to or . . . make out."

Slowly closing her book, Brennan watched Booth as he entered the bedroom. "Making out sounds interesting Booth."

His laughter his answer, Booth changed into a pair of sweat pants and an old faded FBI t-shirt. Re-entering the room, Booth smiled at his girlfriend. "Of course, it would be more comfortable if we made out on the bed, but it's up to you."

The sight of Booth barefoot wearing low slung sweat pants and using his charm smile on her hard to resist, Brennan dropped her book on the couch and stood up. "Well, in that case." As she passed him in the doorway, Brennan reached out and ran her hand across his chest. "Your friend keeps this place very clean, Booth. I like that." As she moved over to the bed, she removed her jeans and shirt, pulled the blanket back and scooted under the covers. As her feet touched something rough, she let out a strangled cry and rolled out of the bed.

Afraid of what she would find, she twitched back the blanket and stared at two pine cones resting at the foot of the bed.

Unable to stop himself, Booth burst out laughing. Holding his sides, Booth gasped, "Oh . . . oh that was so damn funny . . . Oh my God . . . What's the matter . . . did you think it was a snake?" Growing weak from laughing, Booth leaned against the wall just inside the room and tried to bring his laughter under control.

While she waited for Booth to finish laughing, Brennan removed the pine cones from the bed and held them in her hands. "Are you finished?"

Standing straight, Booth wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, I think so . . . Gotcha Bones."

Her answer rapid, Brennan threw the cones at Booth's chest, both cones finding their targets.

Booth leaped through the doorway as quickly as he could, rubbing his chest. "Hey, that hurt, Bones."

Annoyed, Brennan stood where she was and glared at her boyfriend. "You do know we aren't going to make out now?"

Suddenly sober, Booth sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

Moving back to the bed, Brennan lay back down and pulled the cover over her body. "Night Booth."

He knew she wouldn't be angry with him for long, so he returned to the big room, turned out the light and stumbled back into the bedroom in the dark. After he found the bed, he lay down and stared at the ceiling. "I did get you though."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.

A/N: The pine cones were the idea of Mendenbar.


	8. Chapter 8

(After the Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It is the only way I know you are really interested in it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, Booth woke up to find the mattress next to him empty. Groggy, he stared at the ceiling, ruffled his hair and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Rolling the muscles in his shoulders and back, he finally stood up, hobbled over to his suitcase and rooted around for a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After he changed clothes, put on a pair of running shoes and combed his hair, he wandered out into the living area and found it empty.

The sun up, Booth finally looked at his watch and found it to be rather late in the morning. Stepping outside on to the porch, he found Brennan and Parker sitting at the table next to the campfire. They were playing cards and seemed to be having fun. "Hey, why did you let me sleep until nine?"

Glancing around, Brennan smiled at her lover and friend. "You were obviously tired or you wouldn't have slept that long. We're on vacation so there is no time constraints."

"Dad, we made you breakfast." As he slid the paper plate over the table to the spot next to Brennan, Parker smiled. "We made eggs and toast and fried potatoes and mushrooms and Bones even has apple butter and strawberry jam. Bones didn't eat any eggs, so you have plenty to eat."

His stomach rumbling, Booth moved down the steps, hurried over to the table and sat down. As he pulled an inverted paper plate off of the filled plate he could smell the heady aromas. "Oh my God, I'm so hungry. Thank you." Quickly grabbing a fork, he started to eat while Brennan and Parker resumed playing cards.

The silence of the woods so peaceful, it was only broken by the occasional bird chirp, the skittering sounds made by squirrels and chipmunks or the rustle of the leaves when the wind picked up.

After he was finished eating, Booth leaned back against his chair and sighed. "That was so good. Thanks Bones . . . Parker."

Enjoying the time with his father and his father's girlfriend, Parker placed his cards down on the table and drank from a bottle of water. After wiping his lips with the back of his hand, he eagerly leaned against the table. "What are we going to do today, Dad?"

His hand snaking around Brennan's waist, Booth turned to look at her profile. "What do you want to do today, Bones? . . . It's your vacation too."

Not angry with him any longer, Brennan placed her hand on his hand as it rested on her ribs. "We could go for a walk."

Standing, Booth moved his chair away from the table and waited for Brennan to stand. Pulling her into his embrace he kissed her. "We good?"

"Yes, it was just a joke." She returned his kiss and hugged him. "It's very nice here. We may have to come back again."

A little impatient, Parker placed his fist over his lips and coughed loudly.

Amused, Booth released Brennan and laughed. "Okay Bud. Let's go for a walk. Maybe we can collect some rocks and add them to your collection."

"Oh Goody." Parker moved away from the table and over to a well-worn path that led into the woods. "Only interesting rocks though. Mom says I can only collect interesting ones because I have enough rocks to make a wall at home already." Laughing, he shook his head. "That's not true. Drew says she's was being sar . . . sar . . . um, casic?"

Amused, Brennan grasped Booth's hand as they walked towards the trail. "Sarcastic."

Glad that Brennan was happy, he knew she'd pay him back for the prank, but really that joke last night was so damn funny. Whatever she did would be worth it.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

After a long day of hiking and fishing, everyone was ready for bed that evening. While Brennan changed her clothes she watched Booth flip back the blanket on the bed and leap back.

"Shit! What the hell?" Flipping the blanket off of the bed, Booth moved closer and as he did he realized that the bed was covered with small black plastic spiders.

Her hands over her mouth, Brennan laughed.

Hands on his hips, Booth stared at Brennan as she continued to laugh and point at the spiders. "That is so funny, Booth. . . . Are you afraid of plastic spiders? . . . You are very athletic to be able to jump that far back, Booth . . . so funny."

Unable to help himself, Booth laughed with her. "Good one Bones. Really good." Moving slowly around the bed, he made a grab for his girlfriend, leaned over and pulled her onto one of his shoulders.

Shrieking, Brennan laughed while trying to protest. "Booth . . . Booth let me down . . . Booth you're going to hurt yourself . . . Booth!"

Slowly turning and careful not to drop his squirming Bones, Booth faced the bed and dropped her on it. "Here, you can sleep with the spiders."

Her laughter ringing out, Brennan looked at her boyfriend. "I was going to use these and prank Parker. . . but . . . but this is much more satisfying . . ." As she looked at Booth, Brennan stopped laughing. "I gotcha Booth."

Falling onto the bed beside her, Booth placed his hand on the side of her face. "Yes you did and you do, Bones." Kissing her, he smiled. "I love you."

Mesmerized by his soft brown eyes, Brennan swallowed. "I . . . I love you too, Booth."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

I hope you were amused. Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

(After the Crack in the Code)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Booth and Wendell had worked so hard. The house had been a disaster and after they'd had contractors come in and replaced the outside wall in the living room and a Jacuzzi had been placed in the master bathroom, Booth and Wendell with the occasional help of Hodgins and Sweets had repaired the rest of the house. Interior walls had been rebuilt, two small rooms had been modified to make the master bedroom, leaving two smaller bedrooms upstairs.

Downstairs had been a matter of finishing the walls between the living room and the dining room, repairing the ceiling, replacing all of the appliances in the kitchen and replacing the bathroom fixtures in the downstairs bathroom. Painting, trimming, refinished wooden floors and many more items that Brennan didn't want to think about had been done to make the wreck of a house their Mighty Hut. Of course they hadn't finished the man cave or her home office/guest bedroom, but they would get to as soon as they could.

Between Booth's job with the FBI and his constantly working on the house, Brennan had worried that Booth would work himself into exhaustion. She'd hired plumbers and electricians to rewire the house and replace all the pipes above ground so that Booth and Wendell could concentrate on carpentry work.

Booth had been desperate to finish it before their baby was born. He wanted their child to be welcomed into a house that was ready and safe to live in. After three months and just a few weeks before Brennan was due, Booth stood in the living room and high fived Wendell. "That's it, we're done with what needs to be done for now."

Pleased with what they had accomplished, Wendell accepted a cold bottle of beer from Brennan. "Congratulations, Dr. B. Your house is ready and I have to say, it looks pretty good."

As she handed a cold bottle of beer to Booth, Brennan kissed him on the cheek. "It's beautiful, Booth . . . it's very beautiful."

Satisfied that everything was done to their satisfaction, Booth grinned at his girlfriend. "It does look pretty good." Sipping his beer, Booth placed his arm around Brennan. "I haven't lived in a house since I moved out of Pop's house . . . I'm glad we did this Bones. Our baby deserves to live in a house with a big backyard to play in. I plan to build a tree house this spring when it's not so cold outside."

Her arm around his waist Brennan stared at her collection of artifacts located on either side of the fireplace. "I wasn't sure how our things would look mingled together, but it's esthetically pleasing."

Proud of what he had accomplished, Booth beamed with pride. "Yeah, it's not bad at all."

Checking his watch, Wendell finished his beer. "I got to go. I promised my mother that I'd take her to church tonight." Handing the empty bottle to Booth, Wendell turned and hurried towards the front door. Before he left, he paused and looked back. "When you're ready to work on the man cave let me know and if you need me for anything else, let me know. I've never built a tree house, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to do with the two of us."

"Thanks Wendell." Booth saluted his friend with his bottle of beer. "You did a great job, Man."

Once Wendell was gone, Brennan moved away from Booth. "Dinner is almost ready, Booth. If you want to take a bath before we eat you have time."

Booth clapped his hands together. "Sounds great." As he moved towards the staircase, Booth started to sing loudly and just a little off key. "Our house is a very very very fine house, with two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard . . ."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the large roomy tub, his muscles finally relaxed, Booth moved to pick up the bottle of shampoo to wash his hair. Flipping off the top with his thumb, Booth turned the bottle over and squeezed. Surprised that nothing came out, he squeezed harder. Not sure what was going on, he tipped the bottle back over and stared at the nearly full bottle of shampoo.

Suspicious, he stared in the little hole and could clearly see the shampoo so there wasn't anything obstructing it and yet when he tipped it back over and squeezed again, nothing came out. Since his head was sweaty and his hair really needed to be shampooed, he refused to give up. Unscrewing the cap, Booth smirked when he found a layer of saran wrap across the opening in the bottle and around the neck. _Very funny Bones._

After he removed the clear wrap, Booth placed the cap back on and squeezed some of the gel into his hand. _You are so going to pay for this, Bones._

Ooooooooooooooooo

Once he was back downstairs, Booth moved into the kitchen and slammed the plastic shampoo bottle on the counter near Brennan while she stirred something in the pot.

Surprised, Brennan turned to look at Booth and saw the shampoo bottle on the counter. Unable to prevent it, she started to laugh. "Did you have trouble . . . have trouble with your shampoo, Booth." Laughing merrily, she wiped a tear from her cheek. "I should have followed you upstairs and witnessed your reaction. I am sure it was very funny, but I didn't want to burn our dinner and you take such a long time to bathe."

His tongue firmly planted in his cheek, Booth picked up the shampoo bottle and wiggled it. "So I thought we had a truce."

Suddenly sober, Brennan took in the menacing stare. "Well, I thought you needed a little frivolity in your life since you've been working so hard lately."

"Frivolity." Booth's eyes twinkled as he slowly smiled. "I almost popped a vein trying to squeeze out some shampoo."

Turning back to her pot, Brennan chuckled. "I wish I had seen that. I'm sure it was extremely funny."

"The truce is off, Bones." The idea that his partner wanted to do something for him even if it was just to play a practical joke on him, made him feel happy. Moving closer to her, he placed his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. "It was pretty funny . . . thanks. It was suitably frivolous."

His lips on her neck sent a thrill down her spine. "I can be quite amusing."

Pulling her closer against his body, Booth continued to kiss her. "Yes . . . yes you can."

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So let me know what you think of my little prank. Thanks.

A/N: the song Booth was singing was "Our House" by Crosby, Stills & Nash.


	10. Chapter 10

(The Bump in the Road)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

She had never dreamed that she could be so emotional, but that day had come and Brennan was very annoyed. She blamed hormonal changes, but Booth insisted that it was all about being a parent.

Over the years she and Booth had had numerous conversations about parenthood. Booth had experience being a parent with his oldest child and Brennan had none and yet she'd still thought that being a parent would not affect her in anyway.

Having to leave her child in childcare had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. Yes, she realized that sounded hyperbolic, but it was absolutely true. The thought of strangers safe guarding her child had left her with chills. In order to go back to work, she had to give her baby to people she didn't know and count on them to protect Christine from harm.

Booth had tried to reassure her by doing background checks on the people who worked at the Day Care center even though it was illegal. Booth was that way and she had appreciated his thoroughness. If there was one thing Brennan knew about her mate it was that he was extremely protective of those he loved.

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He had known that Brennan would be nervous about leaving their baby alone with strangers, but he didn't know what he could do about it. Booth blamed Max and Christine Keenan for the way Brennan was. Because she had been forced into Foster Care as a child and was badly mistreated, Brennan didn't trust anyone when it came to children and add her own child into the mix and Booth knew they were in a volatile situation.

To try to ease her mind, he'd done illegal background checks on Day Care workers and that still didn't seem to help the situation. All he could do was hope that time would fix the situation. Once Brennan saw that their baby was being taken care of properly, he hoped that she would be more confident in the Day Care workers. God forbid if anything happened to Christine while at Day Care because Brennan would be a storm they wouldn't be able to reckon with.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

After she left Booth's SUV and removed Christine's carrier from the passenger seat, she carried the baby towards the house with Booth following her. As she approached the porch, she spied a rock sitting on the top step. Curious, she moved up on one of the steps and looked down.

The rock was flat and about the size of a dollar bill. The rock was spray painted a gold glittery color and it had silver writing on it: **Turn me over!**

Turning back to look at Booth, Brennan motioned for him to come closer. "Here Booth, take Christine."

As he took the carrier from her, Booth shook his head. "What's up?"

Not really sure, Brennan pointed at the sparkly rock. "There is a rock on the top step. It has writing on it which says turn me over. I find that quite odd."

Carefully placing Christine's carrier down on the lawn next to his feet, Booth craned his neck to see the rock. "Want me to handle it? It's seems like a crazy thing to leave on someone's porch."

Confident that it wasn't dangerous, Brennan placed her her hand on the rock and shook her head. "No I can take care of this." Lifting the rock, she turned it over and read: **You just took orders from a rock!**

Surprised, Brennan turned to glare at Booth who was grinning at her. "Booth. This is hardly funny. It is actually quite lame."

Slowly shaking his head, Booth chuckled. "First, it's a pretty good joke because you fell for it and it isn't lame . . . and who says things like that except kids anyway?"

Her crystal blue eyes boring into her boyfriend, Brennan shook her head. "I see." After she moved the rock over so that it was no longer in the way, Brennan marched up the stairs, unlocked and opened the door, looked back, entered the house and slammed the door shut.

His smile gone, Booth looked down at his baby. "Oops. Daddy forgot about the hormones." Squatting down, he stared at his daughter. "Just so you know, your Mommy and Daddy play practical jokes on each other. They're kind of lame, but it's just for fun. Your Mommy played the last joke on me and she probably thought I'd give her a pass because she was pregnant and I did, but . . . well, payback is a bi . . . um, well anyway I got her and now she's mad at me. I probably should have waited a few more months, but you should know I'm kind of impatient. I waited a long time to get her back as it is."

The baby throwing her fists in the air and blowing spit bubble made Booth laugh. "You are definitely the cutest thing on this planet besides your Mom." Taking the edge of the blanket, Booth wiped Christine's mouth. "There all better. I guess we have to go in now. Your Mom is probably still mad at me. You need to know she's a genius and she's proud of that fact and she should be. Me, I'm just an ordinary guy and not all that smart, but that's okay. I don't mind because let's face it, there is nothing sexier than a brilliant woman. I really love her, so don't doubt that . . . ever."

Standing, Booth picked up the carrier and turned to face the house where he found Brennan standing in the now open doorway. "Oh hey Bones . . . me and Christine are coming."

When Booth reached the top of the stairs, Brennan placed her hand on his chest to stop him. "You did get me Booth fair and square. It was a very amusing joke." That said, she leaned up and kissed him.

Surprised, Booth smiled at his girlfriend. "I'm glad you liked it. We can leave the rock on the side of the steps and see how many people actually pick it up and look at it, although most people probably won't admit it."

Glancing at the gold colored rock, Brennan giggled. "Oh, that's a good idea. I like that."

Amused, Booth laughed and motioned for her to go into the house. "Yeah, I thought you might."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11

(The Family in the Feud)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

"You know Bones . . . nature is pretty interesting. I mean look at those Cleopatra fingos that made the victims eyes light up red. That's pretty cool if you think about it." Booth was trying to avoid talking about Max and he thought he was on safe ground.

Puzzled, Brennan stirred the roasted zucchini and mushrooms in the baking dish then recovered the pan with foil. "Oh you mean Coleoptera phengodidae . . . yes railroad worms are very interesting. The red glow frightens off predators." She opened the oven and placed the pan back inside.

"Um yeah, what you said." Booth finished feeding Christine, placed the bottle on the table and wiped her mouth and chin clean. "I guess that truffle hunter got the scare of his life."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan started to slice some Italian bread and place the slices on a plate. "I suppose."

Booth hated that Brennan was so upset about her father. She carried around a lot of baggage because of her family and what they did to her when she was a child. He tried to be patient with her even when her actions didn't help the situation. He liked Max, but he knew that Brennan had to come to terms with her past if she wanted a relationship with her father and all he could do was back her up even if he thought she was making a mistake. On the other hand, his own past with his father had been worse than hers so what did he know about it? "I'm going to go upstairs and give Christine a bath."

After Booth left the room with their baby in his arms, she continued to prepare dinner while Brennan's mind raged over what she should do about her father and his apparent disregard for rules. He had given her a fright that day when she had lost contact with him and her daughter. She barely trusted paid professionals to take care of her baby and her father was not helping the situation in that regard at all.

A little while later, much to her surprise, her father showed up at the front door and after being asked for forgiveness, Brennan had relented and invited him to stay for dinner. Booth had been relieved that Brennan had worked out her problem with her father and hoped that she would continue to see Max at least once in a while.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Dinner done, dishes washed and put away, Max gone and Christine in bed, Booth sat on their bed, his back propped up against the headboard. Flipping through his latest addition of Sports Illustrated, he watched Brennan out of the corner of his eye. "I really liked that zucchini and mushroom dish you made. It tasted pretty good and it went pretty good with the pasta."

As she removed her necklace and placed it on the dresser, Brennan stared at Booth using the mirror before her. "I told you I could make you a very tasty vegetarian dish if you would allow me to. I think you should cut down on meat . . . and bread . . . and definitely sugar."

Not really interested in changing his diet, Booth placed the magazine on his lap. "Once in a while is okay, but I'm not giving up meat for you or anyone else and I'm not giving up bread either."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan removed her pajamas from her dresser and shook her head. "That of course is up to you . . . I'm glad Max stayed for dinner. It was nice to have him here and Christine does seem to enjoy his company."

While she walked over to the closed bathroom door, Booth shifted on the bed and watched as she reached out to open the door. "I'm glad you forgave him, Bones. That was pretty nice of you after he scared you this morning."

Her attention momentarily distracted by Booth, Brennan opened the door and at first didn't notice what played out behind her. As she turned to face the doorway, it appeared that several spiders were jumping at her. Startled, she threw her pajamas at them and jumped back.

The look of on her face priceless to him, Booth laughed. As he laughed he fell towards the mattress and held his hands against his stomach laughing harder.

Now aware that Booth had played a trick on her, Brennan moved closer to the dangling spiders and found that they were the black plastic spiders she had used against him a few months ago. They were taped to thin strings and as she inspected them she saw the strings were taped just above the door jam. Obviously he had had rested the tiny spiders between the top of the door and the door jam and when she'd opened the door it has allowed the spiders to fall.

"Very amusing Booth." Yanking the spiders down, she turned, marched over to the bed and taped the end of the strings to Booth's shoulder. "I think these belong to you."

Sitting up, the spiders now dangled down Booth's chest which made him laugh harder. "Oh Bones . . . you should have seen the look on your . . . on your face . . . so damn funny."

Hands on her hips, Brennan watched as her mate laughed heartily. "I was wondering what had happened to my plastic spiders." His laughter infectious, Brennan joined him. Chuckling, she shook her head. "You're such a child sometimes."

Pulling the strings from his shoulder, Booth help up the spiders for her to see. "I believe these belong to you not to me."

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan moved onto the mattress, grasped the spiders and threw them over her shoulder. Her hands pushing her man back onto the mattress, Brennan smiled. "I will get you back Booth." Kissing him, she knew that he had played the trick on her to make her laugh because of the day she'd had. "I'm going to throw those spiders away."

Not interested in the spiders anymore, Booth rolled them both over and stared down at his beautiful partner. "Made you laugh didn't I?"

"Yes you did."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you thought of my joke. Thank you.


	12. Chapter 12

(The Partners in the Divorce)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The past few weeks had been a time of reflection for both Booth and Brennan. While Brennan and Christine had been gone, Booth had only worried about their safety and how he could get them safely back home. As soon as the squints with Brennan's help had proved that she had been set up by Pelant she had returned home with their baby and their lives had resumed, but not the way either had hoped it would.

For the first few weeks, they had both gone through some adjustments. If they had thought that their lives would resume the way it had been when she left, they were both sadly mistaken. Brennan had relied mostly on herself for three months and had found it hard to let that go. While her father had been instrumental in keeping her and Christine safe, she had been burdened most of the time with loneliness and isolation.

When she came back home, it's not like she wanted to shut out Booth from her life, but that reliance on her wits had marked her in a strange way. In some ways it forced her to return to the mindset she had before she became romantically involved with her partner and once she was home, she had struggled with the idea that her happiness was contingent on Booth's happiness.

Brennan had rebelled at that kind of connection because of her fears that someday she and Booth would be separated permanently and she didn't want to live through that kind of crushing defeat. And yet, they had a child and a connection that couldn't be denied.

After Brennan had a long talk with Sweets and then with Booth, they both knew that they couldn't allow their separation to rend their relationship. Their friendship and their love for each other was strong and they would mend the tears that had tried to alter their relationship.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had missed Booth's smile and laughter most of all. While they adapted and tried to move back into a smooth partnership, Brennan noticed that Booth seldom smiled and most of the time he was tense and reserved. Determined to change that she thought about their use of practical jokes to make each other laugh and after drawing up a list of possibilities, she found one she thought would be amusing. At least she hoped so.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Entering the kitchen, Booth decided to get dinner started while Brennan fed Christine. "Hey, I thought I'd make some Bolognese tonight.

While she removed the lid from the baby food jar, Brennan smiled at Booth. "That sounds like a good idea. I missed your Bolognese while I was gone."

Certain he didn't want to talk about her time away from home anymore, Booth grunted and opened the fridge. As he leaned down to look inside, a brown bag caught his attention. A yellow post-it note was centered on the bag: Fried canaries.

His eyes large, Booth picked up the bag and held it in his hand as he turned to face his partner. "Really Bones. What the hell. I don't want dead birds in my refrigerator."

The irony not lost on her, Brennan frowned at his statement. "You have dead birds in the fridge all the time, Booth. Along with pork, beef and seafood."

Trying to avoid a bickering session, Booth placed the bag on the counter. "To eat, Bones. To eat. No one eats canaries. Why do we have these in our fridge? This isn't the Lab you know. Don't they have refrigerators?"

Careful to keep her face unemotional, Brennan fed her child some diced peaches and nodded her head. "Yes of course they do, but these aren't for the Lab. I read that Pliny the Elder thought that eating fried canaries would alleviate a hangover and since you over did your drinking the other day, I thought I would prepare for the next time that happened."

A little alarmed, Booth stared at his partner and frowned. "Wait . . . I didn't overdo anything a few days ago . . . not really and I didn't have a hangover the next day . . . well not much of one. I'm not eating fried canaries. That's just . . . wrong. Canaries are wild birds or pets . . . they're just . . . That would be like eating a dog or something."

Slowly shaking her head, Brennan stood up, walked the few paces over to the counter and picked up the bag. Removing the tape from the bag that kept it closed, she opened the bag.

"Bones, I don't need to see them." If there were dead canaries in the bag, it was bad enough she told him about it. He didn't want to see their little bodies.

Reaching into the bag, Brennan glanced at Christine to make sure she was okay and then back at Booth. "Well, I think you're being obstinate. Why overlook something that may be useful. If eating a dead canary will cure a hangover then why not eat one?" Quickly pulling her hand out before Booth could say anything further, Brennan flashed the yellow bird in her hand so that Booth barely got a glimpse of it and then popped it into her mouth.

Horrified, Booth stepped back a step and swallowed. "What? . . . Bones . . ." Her grin was all he needed to see. Moving so that he could look inside the bag, Booth stared at the contents and burst out laughing. After he picked up the bag, he poured the 'canaries' out onto the counter and laughed as the bright colors caught his eyes. "Peeps . . . that's pretty funny." Popping one of the marshmallow birds into his mouth Booth chewed it while Brennan laughed at her joke.

After he swallowed the candy, he grabbed a Peep from the counter, pulled Brennan against his body and tried to mash the peep against her lips. "Fried canaries my ass." Laughing, his eyes sparkled with merriment and he felt relaxed for the first time in a long time.

Happy that her joke had made Booth laugh, Brennan opened her mouth and allowed Booth to pop it into her mouth. "They are very tasty for fried canaries."

Chuckling, Booth pulled her into his embrace and hugged her. "God I missed you, Bones. I really did."

Suddenly sad for the time they'd lost, Brennan swallowed her Peep and kissed her mate.

Her parent's antics had been fascinating, but now that they were quiet, Christine decided she was still hungry and started to cry.

Separating, Booth watched Brennan move back across the room and sit down next to their child. "Thanks Bones."

As she scooped up some more peaches for her toddler, Brennan smiled at Booth. "You're welcome."

Oooooooooooooo

Hope you liked it.


	13. Chapter 13

(The Patriot in Purgatory)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

They saved a man's reputation and honored him for his heroism. There are men whose stories we never know, but in this case they had discovered a man and his story and they were shown that good existed even when evil rained horror down upon them.

The search for the truth had brought up feelings long buried inside Brennan and with those feelings came a catharsis. Those many years ago, during the horror of 911, she had felt little emotion for the victims. It wasn't because she was cold and uncaring, far from it, but she had a job to do and to do it she had to be methodical, clinical . . . a scientist. She'd been proud that she hadn't shed a tear during that horrific time. She had done her job and families were given the peace they needed.

Years later, she knew that she had been detached from the horror because she had no on in her life at the time to feel attached to. She was alone and the victims were all strangers to her. She helped to identify them because they deserved justice and their families deserved closure. She was good at her job and she could give their bones an identity.

Now that she had revisited that time she knew that under different circumstances, she would have reacted differently. If she had known people in her life like Booth or Angela or Hodgins then it would have been a different matter. To think that Booth could have been one of the victims sent chills through her.

The thought of losing Booth to an act of terrorism frightened her. He was part of her life and to lose him through a hateful act of terror would be more than she could bear.

Tim Murphy had made her feel the pain of 911 and Booth had given her the comfort she needed and she knew that she gave him the comfort he needed. He had felt the loss of Tim Murphy because he was a soldier too and when Tim stepped up to the plate and saved those people in the Pentagon even though he was badly hurt, he showed everyone what a true hero looked like. Booth had to honor him and show the world what they had lost a few days after that fateful day.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth worried about how sad Brennan was. She tried to hide it and for the most part she was successful, but Booth knew her and he knew that she was still trying to recover from the emotional upheaval that she had recently gone through.

One night, while he lay in bed, Brennan's body pressed against his while she slept, Booth thought of ways he could help her out of her funk and he hit upon a plan.

The room semi-dark, Booth moved his arms around her to hold her closer against his body and stared at the moonlight pouring into the their bedroom from the partially open window. He knew that whatever he did, he wanted to make her laugh, but to do that he might have to aggravate her first.

A smile slowly appearing, Booth knew just what he would do.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Her car was new and she was proud of how eco-friendly it was. From the first day she owned it, her ride was smooth and the car lived up to her expectations. She bragged about the gas mileage and how her car was getting 42 miles to the gallon. Everyone was suitably impressed and Brennan felt vindicated for the price she'd paid for the car.

The next week, her car got 50 miles to the gallon, but she put that down to driving more highway miles than city miles and she was quite proud of her car.

With her next fill up, she was surprised when she noticed that her car gave her 55 miles to the gallon. It was strange, but still how can you complain about 55 miles to the gallon? Not her.

Angela started to roll her eyes after Brennan filled up her car the next week and her friend was gloating that her car was now getting 66 miles to the gallon. Angela knew that something was wrong. "Honey . . . I hate to burst your bubble, but there is no way that car is getting 66 miles to the gallon. It should be getting 42 miles to the gallon not 66."

Brennan thought it over carefully and finally she shook her head. "But I am getting 66 miles to the gallon, so it doesn't matter what the manufacture expected."

Shrugging her shoulders, Angela smiled. "If you get more than 66 miles to the gallon the next time, then you should make sure someone isn't pulling your chain."

"How will pulling on a chain I own . . . oh, too literal." Brennan hated it when people just didn't say what they meant. "No one is playing a trick on me, Angela. My car is very efficient and eco-friendly."

The next time she filled up, she realized that her car was now getting 74 miles to the gallon and she smelled a rodent.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

"So Bones, how's the gas mileage this week?" Booth was sitting next to Christine and helping her color in a new coloring book.

Her eyes boring into her mate, Brennan kept her voice even. "It would seem I'm now getting 74 miles to the gallon."

"Wow, that's impressive, Bones." Booth kept his eyes on the coloring book. "You're saving a mint with that car."

She was certain she knew what was going on. "Booth, how am I getting 74 miles to the gallon? It's only supposed to be getting 42 miles to the gallon."

His tongue poking the inside of his cheek, Booth stared at the red crayon in his hand. Slowly he started to laugh and turned to stare at his girlfriend. The look of disbelief on her face was all it took, Booth dropped the crayon, placed his hand on his chest and started to laugh harder.

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan glared at him. "I knew I smelled a rodent."

That did it, Booth threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "You've been . . . been so proud . . . Oh my God . . . so proud of your new car . . . you bragged about the mileage to everyone . . . everyone . . . so funny." He wiped tears from his eyes and tried to sober up, but really it was so funny how she'd played the' holier than thou card' about how eco-friendly her car was. Booth chuckled. "Got you Bones."

His laughter was infectious which caused Brennan to smile even though she felt a need to protest. "It wasn't much of a joke, Booth. I saved a lot of money because of . . . whatever you did . . . I assume you've been filling up my gas tank."

Booth finally stopped laughing and took a deep breath. "Yeah . . . you had fun didn't you? I mean you've been kind of on a high about that car. It was fun to keep getting better and better gas mileage wasn't it?"

Brennan smiled. "Yes, it was . . . Angela was the one that pointed out that someone was playing a trick on me."

Booth stood up and took her hands in his hands. "I wanted to make you happy."

She was happy even though he'd tricked her. "What you did was very aggravating . . . but I will admit that each week I became more and more excited when my miles per gallon seemed to increase."

Glad once more to see her beautiful smile, Booth leaned forward and kissed her. "I'm not going to fill up the tank anymore, so you have to pay for your own gas Miss Money bags."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my joke. Thanks.


	14. Chapter 14

(The But in the Joke)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones, not even a little bit.

Oooooooooooooooo

Sweets' jokes were very funny even if Booth didn't think so. They were witty and they made her laugh. Brennan loved a good joke and she envied the ability that others seem to have to be able to tell a good joke and make people laugh. Usually the only people that laughed at her jokes were Angela and Booth although sometimes even they seemed to strain to see the humor in her efforts.

Their practical joke war was sporadic and most of the time Booth or she played one on the other because their lover was sad or was having a bad day. Brennan wanted to play a joke on Booth because he'd been so successful at open mike telling jokes and she wanted to show him that she could make him laugh. After much thought, she thought she'd found the right practical joke to do the job.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Traffic was bad that morning. The stop and start traffic was very aggravating and it just made Booth that much more impatient. While Booth stewed over the meeting he was going to be late for, the red Ford Fiesta in front of them stopped rather abruptly which forced him to hit his brakes. When the SUV rocked to a stop, both Booth and Brennan heard an odd noise.

Startled, Booth looked around the cab and finally at Brennan. "Did you hear that?"

Brennan nodded her head. "It seemed like an odd noise . . . I'm not sure I can describe it . . . bolts hitting something metallic perhaps?"

Not sure himself, Booth eased off of his brakes, let the SUV creep forward and then hit his brakes hard. Once more the SUV rocked to a stop and the noise appeared again. "There . . . that can't be good."

"No, probably not." Brennan stared at car in front of her. "Traffic is moving Booth."

Leary, Booth eased off of the brake and followed the car in front of him. "I might take this in to the shop. I don't think I've ever heard a car or truck make a noise like that."

Her attention now on her phone, Brennan scanned her mail. "Um . . . I don't think I have either."

Once they reached the Jeffersonian, Brennan exited the truck, opened the back passenger door and grabbed her messenger bag. As she pulled the bag towards her, she reached under the seat and pulled a sealed can out and placed it in her bag. "I'll call you later about the case, Booth."

His mind still on the noise, Booth nodded his head, waited for her to walk over to the elevator and then he backed out of the parking place. As he moved towards the ramp he hit his brakes to recreate what had happened on the road. This time there was no noise. "Okay that's weird." Since it didn't make the noise again, Booth forgot about it.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The next day, while he was driving Brennan to a crime scene, Booth was forced to brake suddenly when a motorcycle ran a red light. Cursing the stupidity of certain drivers, Booth was unnerved when he heard the bolts and metal sound again. Worried, he turned to look at Brennan. "There it is again . . . I don't get it. It made that noise while we were in traffic yesterday morning, but not later and now it's back again . . . Once we get back I have to take this to the shop. The last thing I need is for something to happen when I have Christine in here."

"Yes, I agree." Brennan watched Booth as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "It's an odd noise. Perhaps it's something minor."

Frustrated, Booth shifted his left leg and glared at the road ahead. "God I hope so . . . I'm good at tinkering with cars, but these newer models with computers and mother boards . . . there's too much crap in the newer cars that can go wrong."

Silent, Brennan allowed Booth to rant for the last three miles to the crime scene. _So far this is very amusing._

Ooooooooooooooooo

After a long morning at the crime scene, once Booth dropped Brennan off at the Jeffersonian, Booth drove back to the Jeffersonian and had one of his agents call someone to come and take a look at his SUV.

The afternoon was spent working on paper work and making phone calls as part of his investigation. Engrossed in a case file Agent Saunders had turned in, Booth didn't hear the man at the door until he knocked on the doorframe. "Yeah!" Booth looked up and stared at the man in the doorway.

"Yeah, I brought your truck back." Stepping into the room, Barry handed Booth a piece of paper. "We put it up on the rack and searched for anything that might have caused the noise and we didn't find anything. We test drove it for about ten miles, did some sudden braking and still nothing out of the ordinary."

Not really satisfied, Booth sighed. "I heard what I heard. It makes a noise when I brake suddenly . . . well not all the time, but a lot of the time. I'm telling you something's wrong."

Barry shook his head, "Hey I even looked under the seats just in case you had a coke can under there. I couldn't find anything to make that noise . . . tell you what . . . you hear it again, call me and I'll be happy to look at it again." Barry turned and left the office.

After the mechanic left, Booth stared at the empty doorway and thought about the noise and it suddenly dawned on him that he might have been played. "Bones . . . Bones that wasn't very nice."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

That evening, Booth looked through Brennan's messenger bag while she was taking a shower and found the small can at the bottom of the bag. It was taped shut and when he gently shook it, he heard the sound he'd heard in his SUV. Quickly placing the can back where he'd found it, Booth left his bedroom and walked out to the garage where he created his own little noise maker. Once it was made, he placed it in Brennan's car under the passenger seat. Just to make it harder on her, he taped it to the bottom of the seat with duct tape. He'd used a old small juice can and placed a handful of washers inside the can before he'd taped the lid closed. _Two can play at that game, Bones._

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had to drive to the Hoover for an early meeting, so that meant that Brennan would have to drive to work. She had barely started her trip, when she heard a strange noise coming from somewhere in her car every time she slowed the car down with her brakes. A quick glance at Christine found her child sleeping in her car seat. Since the little girl wasn't the source of the noise, Brennan pulled over into a service station and parked near the entrance. One she had parked the car, she got out of the car and looked under her seat. The floor clean, she walked around the car, opened the door and looked under the passenger seat and didn't see anything there either. After she checked the floor under the back seats, the glove box and the trunk, Brennan hadn't found the source of the noise and she was very annoyed.

On the way once more, Brennan heard the noise several times before she finally arrived at the Jeffersonian. As soon as she delivered her child to Day Care, she hurried to the Lab and asked Hodgins to examine her car when he had time. The noise worried her and she wanted to know if she needed to take it to the repair shop.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Hodgins entered Brennan's office and plunked the can filled with washers on Brennan's desk. "I found this taped to the bottom of the passenger seat . . . Booth is playing a trick on you . . . or I'm guessing it's him anyway."

Her tongue skimming the top of her teeth, Brennan nodded her head. "It would seem he's trying to play joke on me."

Amused, Hodgins smiled. "That's actually pretty funny. I might have to try that one on Angela." With a wave of his hand, the entomologist left the office leaving behind a very annoyed anthropologist.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

She met him for lunch at the Royal Diner. Once she was seated across the table from Booth, she pulled the small can from her bag, placed it on the table and placed her purse next to the window. "Very funny Booth."

Staring at that the can, Booth smiled. "How long did it take you to find it?"

Honest with her answer, Brennan folded her arms against her chest. "I didn't find it. Hodgins found it for me. This is a very lame joke, Booth. I don't think it's very amusing at all."

Booth stood up, reached for Brennan's bag, opened it and rummaged around in the bag.

Stunned, Brennan spluttered, "Booth . . . what are you doing . . . "Once he pulled a similar can from her purse, she stopped talking and stared in wonder at her mate. "How did . . ."

"Ha!" Settled back on his chair, Booth handed Brennan her purse. "Very lame Bones . . . very lame."

The idea that they had both used the same joke to fool each other suddenly seemed very amusing to her which made Brennan laugh. "This is very funny, Booth. You and I used the same joke and we were both successful in fooling the other . . . well at least for a while." Her laughter loud enough to cause heads to turn, Brennan shook her head. "We are very amusing."

Unable to prevent it, Booth smiled and then chuckled. "We are Bones. We are very amusing . . . also our jokes are very lame."

"That's what I love about them, Booth." Brennan smiled at her partner and mate. "It's ours and we love them . . . don't we?"

Slowly nodding his head, Booth reached across the table and grasped her hand. "We do love it, Bones . . . it's definitely our thing."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

This is the last chapter of this story. I hope you liked it. Let me know. Thanks.


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